In an increasingly sedentary society, the gym has become a site where the tension between the desire for instant gratification and the inescapable necessity of hard work is played out.

The GYM-HED survey explores this tension, focusing on the university gym, firmly embedded within a work-life environment and culture that exemplifies endless desk work for both staff and students whilst simultaneously extolling the virtues of health, wellbeing and activity. The study involved gym observation as well as a student and staff survey to explore why individuals choose to use or not use a University gym.

The work is being undertaken by a collaborative team of academics and researchers across the Colleges of Medicine, Science and Engineering, and Leeds Metropolitan University and includes health services researchers, human geographers and sports health scientists. In addition the study is being supported by the Healthy Universities Committee with assistance from Swansea University gym.

The award was made under the University’s Bridging The Gap (BGT) programme. BTG is a collaborative programme at Swansea University which aims to deliver high-quality projects directed towards the global physical, economic and social challenges that face today’s modern world. Supporting projects and activities that foster and develop interdisciplinary research activity, particularly between STEM and other disciplines.

Supported by a £780,000 grant from the EPSRC, this three-year programme builds activities to stimulate creative thinking and innovative research across disciplines that reflect institutional strengths and strategies. BTG is targeted at all research staff across Swansea University with a particular emphasis on early career researchers. BTG also promotes collaborative exchange between Research Centres and Institutes.

Preliminary findings from the study will be submitted to the Bridging The Gap team by the end of July, with the full findings being submitted for publication in the Autumn.

Andrea Buck from Bridging the Gaps commented: " This study clearly demonstrates the value of multi-disciplinary working across the University and will help to promote the Healthy University agenda to which the University is committed".

For more information about the study, please contact Hayley Hutchings (h.a.hutchings@swansea.ac.uk) or Frances Rapport (f.l.rapport@swansea.ac.uk).

For more information about the Swansea University College of Medicine go to http://www.swansea.ac.uk/medicine